Fuwa Setsu can still remember the first time he saw Hyuga Aya, the memory was so clear and vivid that he almost swore it happened yesterday or was happening at this very moment.
Although, it took place nearly three years ago.
He's able to recall to detail how the Hyuga Princess stood there - among the ruins of what was once a beautiful place of worship. A centuries-old temple, which had managed to survive through time: the bombs and natural disasters until now, when it was brought down by a moment of insanity.
Blood ran down her cheeks like rivers, mixed with tears that glinted back from the sunlight. The sky behind her was painted with ominous colors of setting sun, staring down at us as if mocking humans. For their inability to do anything but watch and deal with the consequences. Sometimes, Setsu wondered...how different would things be if he wasn't a human?
What could he do? To protect those, who needed to be saved? How would he even begin to save the girl, who couldn't be any older than he was (probably only a year of difference, either seventeen or eighteen), when she didn't even want to be saved?
Someone moved, faster than an eye could see, and in a matter of mere seconds, Hyuga Aya pulled the cloaked person out from the piles of rocks and shoved her hand through the man's chest, clutching onto his still-beating heart. Setsu remembered gasping at the exact moment her victim let out a blood-curdling scream, either from shock or fear. Or maybe it was both.
His black eyes watched, wordlessly, as the man's body fell. No, it was more like she threw him on the blood-covered, sharp rocks after she squashed his heart like it was nothing more than a rotten tomato. It almost felt as if the idea of touching him disgusted her, more than stepping on an icky spider or seeing a cockroach.
And Setsu knew that the man would never rise, and never cause such disaster, ever again. Because he was dead, and his heart no longer skipped a rhythmic beat.
The atmosphere surrounding them felt thick with tension, barely contained anger and something so much worse and Setsu didn't know what exactly it was. The scent of blood was so strong it nearly made him throw his breakfast up, and the sight before wasn't any better.
He could see drawings on the rocks: runes, kanji writings, and diagrams that indicated the use of dark magic. Suddenly, Setsu couldn't breathe, he had to look away and at that moment, his companion placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.
Unwillingly, Setsu's eyes widened as he jumped startled, and turned to look at Haruse Seiren, the man who held more secrets than anyone else he knew, thus it made him more annoying than a five-year-old kid on sugar-rush that just didn't seem to want to disappear.
But at the same time, Haruse Seiren was someone they all needed around. Because without him, things would fall apart fast and with frightening consequences.
Ones he didn't dare to think about. Setsu had seen a version of the world without Haruse Seiren around, and the memory of it still haunted him.
He'd also seen him angry, and even now there were traces of barely contained anger in Seiren's body language. His eyebrow kept twitching in a weird manner. Setsu had noticed pieces of electricity on Seiren's fingertips, sparkling like a broken cord, and he glanced around, not willing to be anywhere near the scene should he leash out.
"Fuwa," Seiren's hazel green eyes were hardened with emotions Setsu couldn't read.
Nor did he dare to try and decipher it, he felt it on his body as Seiren lost control of his power and a jolt of electricity ran through Setsu's body. It was fast and sudden, but enough to scare him.
Seiren, however, acted as though nothing happened when he pulled his hand away and pocketed it. Setsu stretched his shoulder, rubbing the spot his companion's hand had been on with grimace, warily glancing at the strongest sorcerer in the world.
Seiren's black suit was covered with blood, almost mirroring the appearance of Hyuga Princess before them, except she wasn't wearing a suit but a red-and-white priestess kimono set that was torn and marred in several places. His short, messy black hair with blond highlights gave the impression that it constantly changed places, looked even more out of place than it usually did.
There was a pair of black sunglasses that rested on top of his head, usually worn to cover up his ocean-blue-colored eyes. But today, Seiren saw no need to hide behind the sunglasses, wanting to show his anger to anyone and everyone, whom he happened to run into.
Everything about him looked unnaturally beautiful, much for Setsu's disbelief. It often made him wonder about Seiren's roots. All he knew was that the guy had simply shown up one day, proclaiming to be the strongest sorcerer in the world and had somehow befriended Hyuga Aya of all the people around him.
He nearly lost his best-friend, Setsu thought, suddenly feeling sorry for him. Of course, he's pissed.
"I want you to remember this scene, this is what the Noble clans do - what she was forced to do to ensure her survival."
Anger pulsated in Seiren's spiritual levels, almost reaching a dangerous zone that could easily end up exploding.
"What they took from us was everything we ever cared about, a friend who was almost like family. A sense of sanity. And all that for what?"
Setsu was uncertain if he was expected to answer, so he stayed silent. He glanced at the girl before them. She'd noticed them, but made no move to harm them nor to approach them. He found himself relieved at it.
He hadn't noticed when they'd started to walk towards her either, he just noticed himself following Seiren.
"You think this is the work of some random cult like they're trying to claim? No. Do you think it's the work of our enemies? No. It also isn't the work of Revolutionary Army but that of the Nobles."
"Nobles?" Setsu parroted, blinking in slight confusion.
Before he remembered the stories - rumors really - about the Hyuga clan, about the Nobles. But not once did he ever suspect that they'd be attempting to harm one of their own. Least of all, their own heiress.
"Yes, they're no Saints."
That much he knew, Setsu still had a scar of his own to remind him that.
"No one is."
Seiren glanced at Setsu's cold proclamation and hummed.
"What does this place look like to you?" Seiren asked, suddenly, waving a single finger in the air. He jumped over a mutilated, unrecognizable body, not even stopping to give his prayers.
The bodies were all dressed in the same clothes: a black cloak with the hood barely covering their faces, and black kimono underneath it. There were several blood-stained books scattered around the dead. Some of them had pages either missing or appeared to have been torn off by a strong force. Nearly all of them had blood splattered on them, making the writing nearly unreadable.
Setsu grimaced, inwardly groaning at Seiren's irritating habit of never saying things as they were. Instead, it was always in riddles, and riddles, and more riddles. He'd rarely seen the man giving the answers out as they were and not making them work for it, fully enjoying the confused expressions he got.
Knowledge is power, Seiren would often say whenever he was questioned about it. Strength alone doesn't get you anywhere, a proper man needs to hone their intelligence side as well, and use it to get the upper hand of your enemies. Sometimes, it may just get you a much-needed win in the worst situation.
And while Setsu agreed with his words, it didn't mean he liked his style.
"Tragedy would be my first guess," Setsu answered, avoiding looking at the bodies around them. The closer they got to the Hyuga Princess, the worse the scene before them got. She still hadn't made a movement to attack, perhaps it was because she recognized Seiren.
But her eyes looked empty, almost like a reflective glass from which you could see your own reflection. There was nothing that indicated some sort of personality left in her amber brown eyes, at least not when Setsu looked at her now.
"Then, I'd take my time to look around and see that this is the result of the Emperor giving clans too much power," Setsu added, briefly clenching his fists. His scar itched.
"Boo-boo, wrong," Seiren said, climbing over a particularly large rock and paused on top of it. He shook his finger, like a parent scolding his naughty child. "It's close, but guess, again."
At this, Setsu muttered a few select words. "Is it the reason why magic shouldn't be restricted, but that it should be allowed to be used by anyone, who isn't affiliated with the Emperor? That the Nobles should be stripped of their limitless powers?"
Seiren snapped his fingers, smiling in satisfaction, "Bingo! This is gonna drive a bigger wedge between those, who can and can't use magic, or have some sort of special powers because all they'll see is the so-called victim, the Hyuga clan. Not the girl who was nearly sacrificed to Hell. Not the fact that it was done by the Nobles with too much power. Not the fact that people died because of their greed."
"Why not?"
"Because the Hyuga clan holds too much power, they're prestigious and don't give a damn shit about commoners, even though they claim otherwise. Their position as the upholders of Imperial Justice has gotten over their head, and the clan Head uses it as an excuse to get rid of anyone, who shows displeasure towards the Emperor," Seiren said, recalling the day when Aya admitted to him the first time she witnessed death.
"Not to mention the simple fact that the majority of magic users are Nobles, and they'd never turn against the Emperor for fear of losing their status and power," he finished.
Setsu nodded, somehow getting what Seiren just said. So, in the end, it all comes back to politics. The game they're playing, not caring about the collateral damage they do.
"So, why are we here? Why save her and not someone else?" It was a question Setsu wanted an answer to, even though he knew it was because Hyuga Aya was Seiren's best-friend.
His only friend, probably. If not something more, Setsu wondered, thinking of the way the man talked about the girl - the way he'd reacted when they heard the news from the Warden.
"Because she's the only one I have left now," Seiren answered as he reached the girl, who upon seeing him wobbled in her spot.
Setsu watched as the girl collapsed in Seiren's arms as if she weighted nothing less than a feather. Seiren caught her easily, gently adjusting her so that she didn't hurt herself, whispering something into her ear Setsu couldn't hear.
He knew he should have heard it, but at that precise moment, there was a strange buzzing in Setsu's ears that prevented him from hearing their conversation. All he could see was Aya tearing up as she said something, gripping tightly onto Seiren as if her life depended on him. A lump formed in Setsu's throat as he watched her break down, and Seiren's spiritual powers felt incredibly sad.
Sad with anger, grief, and something else he didn't know how to explain.
The more time passed, the more Setsu felt like a third wheel who didn't know why he was brought along. It was only later when Seiren handed unconscious Aya over to Setsu, instructing him to take her back to the safe house, saying he's got something to do that he knew why.
Seiren needed him to watch over the Hyuga Princess while he brought down his rage on the Nobles responsible for this disaster. Muttering something along with the words of avenging Soo-Won.
To this day, Setsu's reminded of that day, whenever he sees the two together. Wondering if Aya knew what Seiren did while she was unconscious, carried by Setsu to the safe house. He wouldn't be surprised if she did.
Something howled outside, startling the twenty-year-old boy enough that he accidentally made a smudge on the finished report. He had to give an explanation why his subordinates kept destroying things, and this was just one such report.
Setsu stared at it, blankly, eyebrow twitching in irritation when there was a sudden red light that flashed up the entire street behind him. It caused slight tremors that ended with the ink bottle toppling all over the report.
He let out a particular string of curses at which his mother would've paled before slapping him.